


The Cupid Department

by Ascuba



Category: EXO (Band), K-pop, SEVENTEEN (Band), iKON (Kpop)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Alternative Lifestyles, Crossover Pairings, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-13 12:21:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7976668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ascuba/pseuds/Ascuba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Junhoe works as a Cupid. Yunhyeong is his perverted half best friend half pain in the ass. Jiwon is his mentor and Hanbin his boss. Donghyuk is hard working and Jinhwan... Jinhwan is the Reaper he can't stop thinking about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Epilogue

**Author's Note:**

> This fic began as a one shot for Valentine's Day. It has since evolved into a chaptered work that I add to whenever I get time.That also means the end is the beginning.  
> These ideas have been in collaboration with my younger cousin after late night talks. The basic premise of the story and their abilities and such come from me. The hilarious scenarios come from the mind of a snarky 16 year old.  
> Enjoy.

_Shit just kiss already for Fuck's sake!_

It was the one thing running through Junhoe's mind as he stood in a prime spot to watch his couple interact on their fourth date. They were bonding like the Plan said over fish and chips, whispering and leaning into one another. It was going along smoothly, but the time for them to actually kiss and seal the deal was pressing on them and Junhoe did not like missing his deadlines.

With a roll of his eyes, he weaved through the hole in the wall restaurant and approached the table. He couldn't be seen, but it didn't make it any less annoying once he stood at the edge of the table, staring them down as if his will alone could force them to just get on with it. Glancing at his watch, he noticed the girl had looked down rather than up and he growled in frustration. The Cupids were only allowed to use their manipulative powers in desperate situations... well this was one. It was his last set for the night and he would be damned if twenty-six years of grooming the two for one another would go to shit because this girl wouldn't just _fucking look up_.

Reaching across the table, he tapped two fingers against her forehead, leaving a very mild urge to look up. The girl lifted her head just like the thought Junhoe left told her to and locked eyes with the other woman at the table. Their gazes were shining and he could see that both women realized just what it meant as they scooted closer in their booth and pressed together in a soft, lingering kiss that made them smile. It was all shy glances and giggles after that, but Junhoe's job was done and he felt his shoulders sag as if the weight of the world was finally over.

With one final glance, he checked the little red string between their fingers to make sure it hadn't suffered any damage since he had last saw them. Luckily it was still intact, stronger than ever actually, so he was able to turn and walk out of the restaurant with a smug grin on his face. Junhoe might not have been the most... straight laced, by the books Cupid at their office, but he sure as hell got the job done. Especially after he nearly messed up one couple completely when he didn't stick around to make sure the scenario had played out exactly as it should have. Humans were always fickle little creatures that never went according to the Plans drafted up by their Cupids and were liable to change things around at any time.

It wasn't a long walk to the office located in a small business building that eternally had a 'For Sale' sign on it. The number and company selling the place were fake and it looked to be completely rundown from the outside, but if anyone of the supernatural realm that contributed to dictating human life stepped into the building, it became a luxurious multiple story company. Junhoe stepped inside easily, nodding lightly towards the doorman before he made his way towards the elevator and rode up to the fifth floor.

There were different beings assigned to each floor that operated and ran things of their own accord. Sometimes two or more floors had to come together for chit chats on how exactly to coordinate any one human's life. Junhoe's department usually came after everyone else unless the human they were dealing with had a focus on being in love and finding love over a job. Each human's Plans were different, some never came through the Cupids' office at all, but it didn't really matter to Junhoe. He managed his cases, following them from birth to death with as much efficiency as his patience could handle.

Stepping into the office, he glanced around at the multiple desks that were empty and the few that had some people who got called. One was a loosely associated friend, if he could even call him that. Yunhyeong was a more laid back Cupid than he was, more liable to let his humans do whatever they felt like. He was certain that the red strings he tied onto their fingers at birth were going to stay there forever and it would all be fine. But then again, he hadn't been in the business as long as Junhoe and hadn't had his first set of soul mates that would just become friends or would violently end things if their relationship wasn't fostered in the proper settings. Either way, the two had ended up becoming friends not too long after Donghyuk had transferred a couple of floors up to the Planning dedicated to the humans' younger years in life. Donghyuk hadn't been a bad Cupid, he just wasn't cut out for the 'lovey, dovey crap' as he called it.

Yunhyeong was sitting at his desk, throwing pencils up into the air and trying to stick them to the high ceiling, failing at every attempt. When he saw Junhoe sitting next to him however, he was quick to sit up and roll over with an overly enthusiastic expression. It was the same one he always had whenever the taller male came back from completing a bonding, be it successful or not. "So... how'd it go? Did they end up fighting or fucking?"

The single question had Junhoe swiveling in his chair, looking over at his friend with a scrunched brow and lips furled back, his facial expression clearly saying _Are you insane?_ before he rolled his eyes and turned back to his desk that was as neat as ever with a few files added to his In box. Newborns that he needed to either file away for later or match up. Those could wait until tomorrow. He had to input the couples he had fixed up today before he left for a bit of a break.

"It went well then?" He had almost forgotten that Yunhyeong was there, staring at him and waiting for a response.

With another half turn of his chair, he faced the younger Cupid with a haggard sound. "Yes, it went fine. Unlike some people who just let stuff go shit all, I actually follow the Plans I craft up and check on my people. How's that couple that were separated? Have they filed for divorce yet?" There was a bite to his tone that let Yunhyeong know he wasn't joking, but mocking him instead.

His fellow Cupid just continued to smile however as he leaned back in his seat and shook his head a little. "Nope, not yet... They will soon though, probably... But nothing I can't fix with the Therapists or CP. I mean, if I don't create a little chaos for them involving relationships, they would get mushy for when real cases come up that actually need their help. Crisis is too busy trying to keep teenagers who aren't being managed from jumping off of buildings before their time." He snorted softly before he decided to roll back to his desk to finish up whatever he had been working on before Junhoe had gotten in.

The senior Cupid had met a few times with the Crisis Prevention department when his humans had become too depressed to continue on or whatever stupid thoughts got into their tiny heads. Usually their department became the answer to keep people from going off the deep end. They just had to make minor adjustments to the Plans, give the person someone to cling to for the time being before they could get to their actual soul mate. It was a nuisance, having to manipulate and take different factors into account and sometimes they still lost the human to the Reapers in the basement, but it was just a part of the natural cycle as Junhoe saw it.

While he was putting in his records the results of the two women and a middle age couple that were starting to experience some trouble, he heard the sharp sound of his phone going off with an alert. The noise used to make him jump when he first started the job ages ago, but now it was just something else to add to his already hectic life. Pulling out the device, he stared at the message that came from the Reapers' department and his face immediately scrunched up into a scowl as the elevators opened up.

A duo stepped out, walking towards him and he lifted his gaze to stare at them before he made a rather exasperated noise before he dropped the device on his desk with a thud. "Seriously? How the hell did you manage to off a twenty-four year old banker that goes to work and back without even consulting the rest of us? He doesn't even drink on the holidays!"

There was a silent, seething rage that boiled just beneath his skin as he stared down the two that stood in his office. One was an average height, dressed down in jeans, hoodie, and snapback as he managed to at least look apologetic, using his hands to move around as he talked. "Look, we're sorry... we had a minor catastrophe planned and you know how they are... wrong place, wrong time. He wasn't even in our itinerary... he wasn't supposed to work today actually. But you know how it goes. We were busy trying to keep up with the souls already harvested when we heard the gun pop."

"We took care of him at least... He's been crossed over and everything. I tried to see if I could have maybe... you know... kept him going or something, but they had him right between the eyes. You can't take back brain damage." Junhoe's eyes cut over to the shorted male with a flop of blonde hair that fell in front of a slender, baby face and attempted to hold himself back from screaming at the two of them.

It was always the same, the two idiot reapers that would pop up to either let him know they fucked up or almost fucked up and he might need to reassign his humans some different soulmates. They were a pain in the ass and it did not help his anger issues at all as he shut his eyes and counted back slowly from five. His tensed shoulders slowly sagged and he was left to lean back in his chair once more as he stared down the two with a scathing glare.

"I'm going to be here all night looking for a replacement because you two didn't double check your itinerary. It's not that fucking hard to check the names and make sure only the people you're there for die." Pinching at the bridge of his nose, Junhoe already had a headache forming.

The hoodied Reaper stepped forward and placed a consoling hand on the male's shoulder with a crooked smile. "Which is why we're here... it was really Jinhwan's mistake, he had the list... but we're gonna help go through your files and look for the people we might've... accidentally screwed over and match them up."

"The was Jiwon's idea, not mine," Jinhwan piped up and Junhoe lowered his hand to stare at them both once more.

The pair were notorious for messing things up and nine times out of ten, the one that caused the problems happened to be the short one with his floppy hair and cute smile. "There's no way I'm letting you two come near my files. You always manage to fuck something up and I would rather do it myself since I know which humans I have available and which I don't. You'd just get in here and start messing my entire system up and I would have to reorganize everything for months." His words were scathing and his message clear, making the Reapers hesitate to further push their assistance onto the Cupid who was now in a bind.

"Well you know I worked up here before I became a Reaper..." Jiwon said, pointing over to the desk a few down that had once belonged to him when Junhoe had just transferred from Gender and Sexual Orientation, where most of the new hires started out and were trained before being moved up. Jiwon had seemed to enjoy his job, probably had been one of the better ones... but in the end, the Reaper position had been his true calling. "I know you've got a shit ton of paper work to catch up on probably, so just... give me the files of those you approve of... and we'll search from there. And if you want, we'll stay nearby so you can keep an eye on us."

Junhoe was still sitting quietly, eyeing the pair before he sighed. The gangly Reaper was right, he was behind in paperwork which was why he had come in that night. This additional stress was not what he needed, he would have to go find the woman the banker was tethered to and re-string her along with his newborns. Turning from the pair without a word, he popped open one of his drawers that had plenty of stacks of neatly organized folders that he started to pull from. Each tug was certain and sure as he stacked up the potential candidates, about thirty of them that had lost their own soul mates before they could ever meet and he pushed them on towards Jiwon. "You know how to rematch them. Don't let him get too handsy with them. I need their Plans to stay in their folders in order." The Cupid cut a sharp glance Jinhwan who had started to wander and look bored in their office.

Jiwon gave a hasty nod, grinning as grabbed at the other Reapter's wrist and pulled him off towards an empty desk to start sorting through the people that were candidates. Junhoe emitted a rather exhausted sound as he turned back to the computer in front of him and suddenly felt exhausted as he looked at the screen blankly. It always drained him when the Reapers showed up, causing him unnecessary stress and complications. One part of it, he could completely blame on the actual work itself because it was a tedious task lining up and rearranging Life Plans with other departments to ensure his humans their happiness, but that wasn't it.

More than once Junhoe had wondered if the random deities and beings in the building had their own, ever expanding Life Plans and if he was under the guidance of one of his fellow Cupids. He himself had never had the pleasure of pairing off the supernatural beings, but who was to say they didn't have their own person, just for them. Hanbin had been at the helm of the Cupid since forever and perhaps he was the one that made it all possible for them to feel attraction or love or sadness... because Junhoe couldn't have been the only one right?

The source of all of this massive, headache inducing, brain churning emotions was none other than the petite Reaper just a few desks down, lounged rather provocatively (if Junhoe had anything to say about it) in an office chair, reading over a file with a vaguely interested expression. The first time Junhoe had met the Reaper was back when he had only been working as a Cupid for a short while and he still jumped at the blasting alerts of his phone. It had been an extremely close call for one of his people and they needed him to switch up a few things to take into account the near death experience. Jinhwan had waltzed into the office and plopped himself down on his desk dressed in all black with dark hair. It had shocked him down to his core for a moment and he was certain he had ran into one of the Angels that worked on the upper floors that gave life to the humans they cared for, but he was quick to find out that Jinhwan was a Reaper and had always been a Reaper.

Ever since that fateful day, the Reaper had become a constant presence in his life, popping up unannounced to talk to co-workers or himself. Apparently, Jinhwan was one of the clumsiest Reapers there was, always causing issues for other departments, but he always got away with it. At one point, Junhoe out right accused him of sleeping around with at least the heads of each section and all he had gotten was a sly grin and a shoulder shrug to answer. It was odd when he felt his blood boil with jealousy and he had kept his comments about Jinhwan's sex life to himself from then on.

At some point, his work started to slow down and he was left looking over the screen at the pair, casting glances at the male that looked like he was about to fall out of his chair as he read leisurely. It was this reason alone that Junhoe was sure that he had his own string and Cupid, because there was no way he would get so easily distracted by anyone else. Maybe they were soul mates... maybe they weren't. Maybe he just needed to do like Yunhyeong suggested and fuck the living day lights out of the smaller man.

Either way, there was something, because he couldn't have been alone in this. Or maybe he was and this was just a stupid crush that would need to be thwarted down to nothing in the long run.

Either way, his paper work was mostly done and he wasn't going to get any further with that sliver of Jinhwan's waist exposed, so he might as well join them to help finish up. With a heavy sigh, he pushed away from his desk like it was an actual burden and rolled himself towards them with ease, long legs kicking out to push him further down.

"Alright, how far have we gotten?" The two turned to look at him, one bored and disinterested, the other glinting with a covert happiness. Junhoe did his best to ignore the quiet pang in his chest that Jinhwan looked bored.

"This is a slow process and really... why can't you just tell us who's the best fit because clearly you already know... you wrote most of these yourself anyway." The whiny tone of Jinhwan was emphasized as he stretched out against the desk. Junhoe glanced at him right as he stretched a fraction too far and went toppling out of his chair, making a few folders fall in the process and scatter across the floor. There were papers everywhere and the Cupid was torn between being pissed off or concerned as Jinhwan rubbed at his forehead.

There was a nudge to his wrist and he glanced at Jiwon with a scowl who gave him a slightly knowing look before he huffed in resignation and ended up on the floor to check the Reaper's head. It wasn't like he wanted to get that close anyway, getting that close was dangerous. But there he was, pushing back the blonde locks of hair carefully to check for any massive injuries, scanning with a careful gaze as Jinhwan tried to protest about not being babied. "Shut up, you fall so much and hit your head, it's no wonder you forgot to check the itinerary."

Junhoe smirked slightly at his own half-assed joke before he nodded and looked down at the slightly smaller male. "You're fine, no blood this time..." Their gazes locked for a moment and it was if the entire room had melted away. It had to be, Jinhwan had to be something to him... there was no doubt in his mind in that moment because everything he felt was reflected back at him as his hand moved from his hair to cup his face gently. There was a rushing sound in his ears and it took him a moment to realize it was his heart trying to leap out of his chest as they stayed unbelievably close.

"Do Reapers have Strings?" The question was breathless, soft as they peered at each other, the whole world rearranging itself just for them and Junhoe found himself at a loss for words.

He shook his head slowly, trying to process his thoughts before he muttered very quietly, "I don't know... I don't even know if Cupids do... but, it feels like it."

The stayed there, looking at each other for an answer before the sound of Jiwon's soft laughter had them turning to look up at him from their huddled position on the floor. "Only some of us have Strings... not many but some. You guys have been my masterpiece since you walked into our department Jun. I just can't believe it took you two this long. Fucking finally man..." Jiwon's grin was wide and he shook his head as he leaned back in his seat with a satisfied smile.


	2. Prologue

It had become just another tedious day at the office for Jiwon as he flicked through his stacks of paperwork, looking over his humans and their Plans with a disinterested look. When he had first taken up this position, transferring out of the Gender Identity and Sexuality training, he was more excited than anything. At first, it had been exhilirating to help people fall in love and find those that were meant for them, but by now... after years of the same thing over and over again, he was bored out of his skull. 

While he was staring down at the file of a woman he had married off to her soul mate earlier that day, the chief Cupid approached his desk with a grin that tugged at the corners of his eyes slightly. "Jiwon... how's it going?" The lanky male lifted his gaze with an accusatory gaze, knowing full well that Hanbin only approached him in the office if he needed something work related. Jiwon was one of the senior Cupids that no longer needed constant supervision and worked to near perfection that there were hardly any slip ups on his end. So it could only mean one thing and one thing only... 

"Let me guess... new recruit?" His eyebrow quirked before his boss deemed it necessary to grin even wider. Jiwon found his own lips tugging slightly as he leaned back in his seat slightly. "Is he coming straight out of Gensex or..." He paused and trailed off, waiting for the answer. 

"New from Gender sadly, but his work there was rather... impeccable, much like yours once he got the hang of it." Hanbin motioned with his hand towards the desk that looked on the outside to be a wreck, but really... everything was exactly where Jiwon had wanted it to be. His system didn't make sense to many people other than himself. "He'll be up within the next half hour. He's hard not to miss." There was a knowing smirk before Hanbin gave his co-worker a pat on the shoulder and slipped off towards his office. 

Jiwon sat, watching the back of the man he had come to known for years through many late nights working together to fix mishaps. At first it had started as friendship, a mutual understanding of the work place and how much of a struggle it could be, but somewhere along the way there had been a different direction their relationship too. Jiwon wasn't looking to define it, they were immortal and had all the time in the world to figure it out. Maybe they had chemistry or perhaps it was just a comfort thing that they both sought out within each other. Either way, when the work days were too long and the nights short, Hanbin had found a way into his bed on more than one occasion. 

Luckily, the elder Cupid seemed to know where personal lust and professional life separated and everything was kept outside of the office. Jiwon didn't care too much if he got caught up in a scandal, it would have been more of a hassle than anything. But he didn't want to rob his friend of a position that he clearly adored and dedicated himself to with a burning passion that came around so rarely. Jiwon always had a certain respect for Hanbin because of it. 

The thoughts that seemed to linger on the Chief were ripped away however when the elevator opened to reveal a massive male with a shock of dark hair styled just so entering their office. One glance over and Jiwon knew that this was his new trainee. He was glancing about, looking for everything... signs that the person was new to the department. And he was well dressed, perfectly clean and prime, trying to make a good impression. Jiwon already liked him. 

Standing up easily, he left behind the woman with her marriages and found himself offering the best welcoming smile he could muster. "You must be the new guy..." Jiwon was already extending his hand with his patented 'welcome to the office, you're screwed' smile. "I'm Jiwon, one of the senior Cupids and I'm going to be training you for the next week or so until you're on your feet." The Cupid knew it would take longer than a few days and he was never one to let his fresh baby Cupids fly off without proper training first. 

The new Cupid took a moment, looking at the extended hand with an expression mixed between confusion and perhaps disgust before he took it and gripped at if firmly, shaking with power behind it. The guy was trying to get across he wasn't here to play around, but to work and he would be respected for it... Jiwon found that oddly admirable. "Junhoe... I was just released from my preliminary training." Jiwon grinned, looking down at their hands before he let them drop, catching a glimmer of a silver thread around the tall male's pinky.  _How interesting._

Walking over to his desk, Jiwon looked at the new files that had arrived since Junhoe's appearance and looked them over slowly, flicking through them before passing them towards the male with a smile. "We have your first infants. Some people love to try to pair them off immediately, but I like to wait until we can find someone that's Life Plan matches up with theirs." He moved to pull up a second chair to his desk and nodded for the taller male to take a seat as he sat down himself, gaze briefly lingering on the glimmering thread that drifted away from his body, not limp... but leading off somewhere. "I want you to read through them... glance over them and familiarize yourself with them." 

Junhoe gave him an incredulous look, one that said he would probably have a better time back where he came from and Jiwon almost felt sympathetic for him. This was only the beginning and it would get more exciting as they progressed and he had more people assigned to him. "Then... take the stack labeled unassigned in the left hand drawer and go through them. Maybe you can find a match, maybe you won't. But it's a process that gets easier as you get your own set of people. You'll eventually just know them all and when you get newborns or newly detached humans, it won't be that hard to match people up." 

The Cupid gave a sigh, resigning himself to sitting at the desk and reading all day, but it was an easy first baby step to start him out on. Jiwon was sure he would get a better taste for things once he was in it for a few more weeks, but it would take patience and time. 

It was during this time when Junhoe was distracted that Jiwon decided to drift himself off towards the boss's office to have brief word with him. The senior Cupid had heard of people in the building having soul mates and being matched off from a Cupid, but he had never seen a string before today and it concerned him. Knocking politely on the door, he waited until he was beckoned in and stepped inside to shut the door behind him to eliminate anyone else finding out about the new Cupid's string. 

"What brings you in to see me so soon? Is he already complaining about it being boring?" Hanbin have a quick smile that said he knew something that Jiwon had yet to discover. 

But the Cupid was quick to wave it off as he stepped in closer and leaned himself in towards the desk slightly, keeping his voice hushed to tell Hanbin what he had just saw only a few moments before. "He has a string... it's not red, not like a human's but silver... and glittering. It's tethered to someone because it's not drooping..." 

There was a pause, Jiwon stared down his lover with an expectant face who only seemed more pleased by the moment before he was pushing back from his desk slightly without any explanation. The chief stood before walking towards one of his many filing cabinets and he extracted a file and passed it over to Jiwon with a satisfied sound. "I was hoping it would be you that would become his Cupid, that's why I assigned him to you." 

Jiwon's features were scrunched in confusion, but he sat down in one of the office chairs as he looked at the file handed to him. Across it, in big black letters, stamped onto it was the single word 'DECEASED'. Flipping it open, inside contained the full life plan of his new Cupid sitting outside at his desk. Jiwon knew that everyone that worked in this building had once been human and that this was their second chance at life in a sense... working for the people that had screwed them over but still giving them a purpose. Leafing through the pages, he barely registered any of the useless information until he came to the Cupid's Department section and he slowed, looking at the plan laid out for the dead man. 

He had been assigned another male, which would explain perhaps why Junhoe had been exceptionally good at handling homosexual and bisexual sexualities as a beginner. Junhoe's soulmate was destined to meet him at a cafe during college and they were to slowly fall in love. However, the initial Plan had a red mark in the corner that showed that it never had the chance to even begin. "So they never got to meet?" Jiwon looked up with a dark expression that betrayed his bleeding heart. 

Hanbin shook his head as he passed him a second folder that looked the same as Junhoe's. "His soulmate died of an illness before we could rectify the situation. The Reaper on Jinhwan's case has since been removed, because of his malpractice... but he passed away a few years before Junhoe did." There was a grave nod to his head before Hanbin moved to sit on the edge of his desk, arms folding over his chest in one of his more serious stances. "Since Junhoe was also taken before his time because of some mess up in Crisis, he's here now... and so is his soul mate. That's why his string is still there. They've been reunited in our world." 

Jiwon leaned back in his seat, folders clasped in his hand as he took it all in. According to his boss, it was highly possible for anyone in the building to have unfinished stories that could finally be completed in this life for them. But the likelihood that things going wrong for two soul mates is always very low, which would explain why he never truly heard about it before. It was a bit mind boggling, but a new challenge none the less. 

"So... now that they're here... I'm their Cupid and I have to get them together..." Jiwon looked incredulous for a moment, trying to figure out a way in his head how this could work out. 

Hanbin merely offered a smile before he gave a fond laugh at the scrunched brow of the man across from him. "It's simpler than it may appear but it takes a lot more work. Cupid's don't follow Plans like humans and it's more like playing matchmaker than anything else. Since they were destined, it'll just take time for their natural pull to come into effect, you just have to... nudge them in the right direction." 

There was another pause, all of the information slowly sinking in before Jiwon nodded slowly, accepting the assignment thought it seemed a bit... tedious. "I'm the only one that can see their string right?" There was a nod before the Cupid began to stand slowly. "And... you act like you've seen this before... have you?" 

Hanbin's smile became a bit tighter, less friendly and open as he nodded once more. "Yes... I've seen it before. It's truly a work in progress and takes up more time and energy than you might think it would... which is why I'm referring you to transfer to the Reapers to be with Jinwhan. It'll be easier to keep an eye on him, he has a few... loose morals." Jiwon stopped in his tracks, the tension in his shoulders immediately making him seize up. "You better train Junhoe well, he'll be taking on your cases." 

In that moment, everything felt cold and indifferent, nothing like his true boss or the lover that had spent many nights in his bed. Jiwon had no clue how to feel as he stepped out of the office without a single word. It almost felt like he was being pushed out and away, but perhaps Hanbin was right. He was bored with his job and no longer loved it as he once had. Perhaps it was time to take on something else and help some other's out along the way. But he was completely unaware of the man staring at his hand as he left the office. The string that once hung limply at Jiwon's side had come to life and was being tugged in a direction opposite of his office. 


	3. Chapter One

The city was a busy place, with bodies constantly in motion. People moved past one another and became a stream of clothing and cell phones. It was a regular day, just like any other as Jinhwan led his new trainee along with a determined face. "Well... she should be somewhere around here. We've got a couple of minutes to find her." His words were directed towards Jiwon, newly transferred out of the Cupid Department to the Reapers. The former Cupid was looking a bit excited and had just a small amount of green tint to his face. Jinhwan couldn't help but internally laugh because he knew all too well that feeling. 

They continued down the street until they got to a crosswalk and the petite reaper was looking at his hand where there was some words written in ink on them, before looking at the signs and nodding. "We're here... I think." Jiwon gave the blonde a bewildered look before he sighs and shakes his head slightly. 

"How do you not know for sure if this is where we're supposed to be?" This messy kind of operation wasn't really Jiwon's forte, but he could learn to roll with it. If he and Jinhwan were going to work together, he would need to adjust himself. Maybe even assist in the tiny man's quests to collect all of his souls. 

Jinhwan merely shrugged with a grin before he held up his hand to reveal the words had been smudged. "It's blurry, but I think I remembered right for the most part." His lips were twisted into a grin and he checked his watch once more before scanning the crowd of people, looking for the girl. 

The duo stood at the corner, Jinhwan glancing at his watch and Jiwon looking out for the girl as time seemed to creep by slowly. A look of panic flitted across Jiwon's face when he realized the time had ticked by without the girl showing up where she was supposed to be. The elder Reaper just gave a tired sigh before there was a blare of horns going off down the road and he looked up with a grin. "That must be her." 

He took off without hesitation towards the noise and found not only one girl sprawled out on the street bleeding out, but also what appeared to be a man she was on a date with. "What's he doing here?" Jinhwan looked at the human male in annoyance before pursing his lips. "She was supposed to be going home without anyone to accompany her. This is why everything messes up... You lot just can't follow simple Plans huh?" His hands had been thrown up in exasperation before he realized there was a tall, familiar figure standing off to the side. "What are you doing here?" 

Junhoe looked up from the small pager in his hand, the look of crushed defeat on his features before it smoothed away into a perfectly sculpted mask. "I was trying to smooth over something that was supposed to be avoided by Crisis Prevention... the guy had just lost his mom." There was a pause and he shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I only gave them the urge to drink coffee... I didn't know she was on a time limit." His face was pinched, like he blamed himself but couldn't wrap his mind around the thought of such a simple decision resulting in the end of some guy's life. "Neither of them looked while crossing the street..." 

He let the words trail off, a forlorn look flitting over his features before he looked back at the short Reaper who had the decency to look sympathetic. "We've all got our first accidentals kid. Don't worry, you'll toughen up in time and get annoyed with them when they don't do things the way they're supposed to." Jinhwan gave a wicked grin before he stepped closer to the bodies on the street, easily bypassing the humans that had gathered around to look at the scene. "Jiwon, come here..." 

With that, he had dismissed the Cupid and started on his work of harvesting the souls. Jinhwan may have been clumsy and shitty at keeping people alive, but what he did best was taking care of the souls that were assigned to him and those he might have accidentally brought to death too soon with his mistakes. The two people were soon flanking his sides, the girl looking as if she had already cried and accepted her fate while the man just looked annoyed. "I promise you, the office isn't that bad... and who knows... you might end up working with me. Trust me okay? We've totally got this under control." He offered his most award-winning smile before he motioned to Jiwon. "Let's get back... we've got business to take care of." 

The duo with the two souls, departed through the crowd, leaving a still stunned Junhoe behind. He would eventually catch up to them if he was as brilliant as everyone else claimed him to be. Jinhwan could only smirk slightly to himself as they made their way down the street, the two souls behind them quiet as Jiwon continued on beside him. There was a puzzled look on his features like he was trying to piece something together in his head. "You're thinking way too hard dude... It's really simple. You just reach out for them and they're drawn to your energy and the rest is easy from there... take 'em back to HQ and process their souls either to be reborn or become one of us." 

But the puzzled look didn't leave his fellow Reaper's face before a look of realization dawned on his features as he paused them on the sidewalk. Jiwon's hand had flown own to dramatically stop them, head turning slowly to look at the man next to him in a new light before he stage whispered with the same flare, "You were the Reaper that took my soul... weren't you?" 

"Huh?" It took Jinhwan a second, staring at the face in front of him before he let out a laugh of disbelief and he ended up nodding. "Oh yea... I did, didn't I? Well to be real here, most people in our line of work were my humans... They just don't remember me. I'm surprised you did though." He gives the man next to him a light pat on the shoulder and forced them to continue on as Jiwon felt himself sinking back into his own memories. 

_Music pumped through his headphones as he stood at the edge of the sidewalk, starring down at his phone with such intent that the world around him no longer existed. Jiwon was going to a new restaurant in hopes of a hot date, thus why he was looking at the device in his hands so intently. The directions were starting to get confusing and he wasn't sure if he was supposed to go left or right anymore... so his best option was to walk across the street and try from there._

_Normally he wouldn't have been so distracted. Normally he would have looked where he was going. Normally he would have been safe, but apparently that moment would be far from normal. It took only a split second and he felt the pain after the force of the impact sent him into the air and down the road. The entire world was buzzing around him and every single inch of his body was on fire. It was that type of insufferable pain that forced you to reconsider every single moment in your life and it did. He laid there on the pavement, thinking of all the things he had done wrong in life and this perhaps was repayment for all that he had done._

_Either way, he was royally fucked. Jiwon was on the verge of out right knocking out and slipping away when he felt a warmth tickling at his subconscious, pulling him towards it. At first the need to avoid it was huge, it wasn't his time to go... he could live through the agony even if it felt like his lungs were collapsing, his heart had burst, and his skull was cracked in two. But it was so hard to resist and a part of him guessed the light at the end of the tunnel was true and he followed that warmth until he was standing outside of his body looking down._

_Standing in front of him was a smiling man with pitch black hair, a little on the short side and a freckle beneath his right eye. It took a moment, staring him down for him to realize that he had actually died and this was some sort of sick joke that the other side seemed to play on the poor humans of the world. "Hello. I'm Jinhwan, your friendly neighborhood Reaper... It would appear that you've been hit by a bus." He nodded towards the vehicle and Jiwon had to resist the urge to look down at his mangled body on the asphalt. "I apologize for any of the_ _inconveniences_ _you might experience, but could you please follow me?"_

_Jiwon stood for a moment, staring at the man with a wary expression before he nodded slowly. He didn't know really what else he could possibly do. There was no place else to go and it wasn't like his date would get to meet him anyway. "Yea... alright..." His words were murmured and soft, the shock still coursing through him as he started to follow after the figure clothed in all black. "Uhm... uh... where are we going?"_

_Jinhwan looked back over his shoulder and offered a kind smile, one of understanding before he nodded forward slightly. "To my work place... How do I put this gently..." His features became pinched before he sighed lightly and waved a hand as if it would help explain things better. "You weren't scheduled to die today... but then again, you didn't look up from your phone so that was on you. Normally we have things in place to keep this stuff from happening but accidents happen and I came as quick as I could. You should have died immediately on impact... We don't like for you lot to suffer... well I don't." There was a vague expression of hurt on the male's features and he merely shook his head as if to clear his thoughts._

_The soul of Jiwon continued on, walking... floating forward as if in a daze before he nodded dumbly. "So this is my fault? I should have been paying attention..." He paused in his words as they continued forward before another question bubbled forth from his chest. "What are you going to do with me then?" There was a genuine concern in his tone and Jinhwan seemed to know just how to smile to soothe it away, like he had done this so many times before._

_"Well... seeing as it wasn't your time to go... we have two options for you. One, your soul can be recycled and you can be reborn and have another go at life. Most people tend to choose that option... Sometimes I wish I had myself, which is where the idea of past lives come into play I guess..." Then there was a pause and Jinwhan grinned as he looked back over his shoulder. "Or you could become something like me. We all start out training the same, but... you can become someone who runs the lives of the humans around us. An immortal of sorts. There's not just Reapers, there's a whole slew of us that go into making lives work..."_

_Jiwon looked skeptical as they walked up to the large building that looked rather run down. "This is where you work?" Jinhwan merely smiled in response before stepping inside and introducing the unlucky spirit to a whole new world._

It was just as they were walking up toward the offices once more that Jiwon turned to look at his trainer with that same bewildered gaze. "You're the reason why I became a Cupid... you talked me into it you little shit. I should have known better... you were always a manipulative asswipe." He grunted in brief annoyance before he shook his head with a tiny grin and looked back at the spirits behind them... and a grumbling Cupid that had decided to join them as well. 

Junhoe was still learning the ropes, still figuring out just how the humans worked and whenever things didn't seem to go his way, it usually ended up with him huffing at everyone else in the office. The ex Cupid found it oddly endearing, but he knew the quality would never really disappear. If it did, then Junhoe would need to search for another job like he did. 


	4. Chapter Two

It was rare for the office to have any sort of disruptions, especially when it was mostly keeping up with paper work and making sure that people were doing what they needed to. That was what Junhoe enjoyed so much about his job. It was pretty consistent with a few mishaps here and there to keep it from getting too boring. He liked the predictability of it all, the monotonous flow of the human life that kept him from going utterly insane in the white walled office space. 

However, sometimes, when the wind blew just right, catastrophes were bound to happen. 

The day had started out just like any other. Junhoe double checked his files and ensured that everyone had at least survived the night. Those that didn't, he set to the side to find their soul mates a new match before taking up the new births he would need to string up eventually. All in all, it was a pretty quiet day. Jiwon hadn't popped in yet to check on him, but he took it as a good sign. 

Ever since his mentor had become a reaper, Junhoe had been visited at least twice a week in the mornings to catch up and give the old Cupid updates on how he was handling his case loads. Usually the conversations were short before one of them was swept off into the human realm to tend to their duties. Most of the time it was Jiwon on the heels of that midget of a reaper that had cost one of Junhoe's humans a shorter life time. He wasn't bitter about it, he was just sure that somehow they had gotten the placement for that guy wrong. He probably shouldn't even be a part of the whole operation. Maybe they shouldn't have given him a choice, he was probably shit at every job they put him in. 

The thought had made Junhoe's lips quirk into a tiny, grimacing smile that left his face contorted almost painfully. As someone that prided themselves on good, clean work... he felt he had the right to look down on someone who messed up more than half of the entire Cupid department. Or so he thought. 

Just as he was thinking about how amazing he was in comparison to the Reaper that fumbled through death more often than not, the elevator to their department opened up to reveal a dozen people that Junhoe had never even seen before. Their faces looked stoic and at the back was Jiwon followed by a grim looking midget that had the Cupid sitting up a bit straighter. As the people approached, he realized there were some people from different departments intermingling in crowd. Most were senior members or people who excelled in their work. It looked to be an elite group of the best people in the whole building and there was a moment of confusion on Junhoe's face as to why Jiwon and Jinhwan were included. 

Perhaps they had finally fucked up enough that they were having a high council. Maybe they were going to get rid of the petite man with his stupid heart freckle under his eye. Maybe there would no longer be that strange rush in his veins whenever he walked into the room and he would no longer have someone to let his eyes gravitate to without meaning it. Junhoe was almost sure he would be more than happy to volunteer to join whatever it was to get him gone so that all of the inferiority and strange feelings left with him. 

It was during this little internal moment of thought, while he was staring at Jinhwan's face, that the Reaper had begun to approach his desk. It took a moment for the Cupid to realize that the face he had been looking upon was no longer in the distance but right in front of him. Blinking away the shocked look, he let a scowl of annoyance grace his features as his eyes narrowed accusingly. "What do you want?" More confusion slunk through him. If Jinhwan was the one in trouble, he wouldn't have been approached by him, at least he didn't think so. The Reaper surely didn't want to get fired by picking Junhoe to defend him. The Cupid had done nothing to hide his disdain for how he worked. 

A smile graced the pretty face before him, though it looked almost forced. There was a sense of urgency in the crinkles of his eyes and the way his lips spread against his teeth. It was given to him out of politeness rather than a genuine happy look. "We're gathering up all of the top members in each department. There's been a natural disaster, code three actually, and we need all the help we can get." There was a pause and Jinhwan straightened himself out slightly. "Of course, you don't have to join by any obligation, but you came highly recommended by your superiors." 

There was a moment of silence and Junhoe could swear he heard every second tick by as he sat there staring blankly at the mind before him. His mind was a whirlwind as he absorbed the new information given to him. Whenever something so large as floods took too many lives for the Basement to handle, they were known to pull a few others from each department. It kept from depleting a whole department of it's staff, but by also snagging up a few of the better members allowed efficient work for the Reapers to harvest the souls that could potentially wander off. Junhoe had never considered he would be a part of such a group and the fact that he was chosen, recommended even, made him feel a burst of pride in his chest. 

Jinhwan was looking at him, his impatience showing on his face as his arms crossed. Junhoe didn't bother to answer him, simply standing and gathering up his coat to throw on as he heads towards the group. Just out of the corner of his eye, he can see the look of approval on the Reaper's face, but it is quickly gone as reality begins to set in. They all crowd into the elevator and it's nothing but silence as the bleak outlook of what they are going to witness begins to fall on their shoulders. Junhoe was wondering if he would be able to deal with it, seeing as he had never done well with death. It made him wonder what exactly was he trying to prove and why was he trying to prove it. 

The entire trip to the afflicted area was tense and once they got there, Junhoe could feel his throat closing up. There was so much water. It was everywhere. "Alright guys..." The voice that spoke up belonged to the petite man that had captured the Cupid's attention since he walked out of the elevator. He had kept the Reaper within his peripheral view for the whole trip out to the almost suburban area. "This is how this is going to work, some of you are new so I'm going to give you a quick run down. The bodies are going to need one person, just one, to take care of their souls. Most are trapped inside of their shell, however one might have broken free and you must find them. We cannot have lingering spirits floating around." His words were stern and sharp, spoken clearly and evenly so that all could understand. "With so many of us Reapers in the vicinity, we can help, but all you need to do is reach out and feel for them. The energy, you know it... we all work with it every day. You have to grab it and pull it to you. Once the soul is extracted, report to me or another Reaper and head back to headquarters." 

Jinhwan gave a final nod of his head and waved off the people that had gathered from all of the departments to aide the Reapers. Junhoe found himself hesitating for a moment before he was following after the small group. The water that had only been a few centimeters when they first arrived slowly began to get higher the further they walked in. Their clothes were getting soaked through and he could feel the water sloshing in his shoes as he pressed further into the maze of streets and houses. He wanted to grimace, wanted to complain, but the serious looks on all of the faces surrounding him had him keeping his features neutral. He wouldn't dare look weak amongst some of the best people that worked in their business. 

Slowly, one by one, the different people floated off into homes. Sometimes more than one went and Junhoe felt a flicker of confusion as he kept trekking in deeper until he was the last one left. Jinhwan had stopped some ways back when he had felt the tug of a life so strong that he immediately veered off. Junhoe was all alone as he stood in the street and felt an overwhelming sense of depression and sadness that hung in the air. The amount of death and destruction was causing the air to feel heavy around him and he was becoming more and more certain that he shouldn't have come along. He didn't even know what he was looking for. 

It was just when he was about to give up that he saw Jinhwan in the distance, a small child... not even four years old, with their hand clasped in his. Despite all of the anguish and all of the hurt that hung like a suffocating blanket in the atmosphere, somehow the small Reaper managed to smile for the small human and helped her to feel at ease despite the situation. Junhoe watched quietly, his gaze locked on the form that didn't seem bothered by the water or the rain that had started back up. Rather he noticed that Jinhwan was handling himself and the child with the utmost care as he gathered her into his arms and began to carry her off. He noticed how people were checking in the Reaper, and the way that he conducted himself was one of a long time professional, easily giving direction and order all with a cool head. 

Junhoe felt as if his entire world was off kilter and he stood in the waist deep water baffled by what he had witnessed. Perhaps the Reaper wasn't an imbecile completely. Maybe he had just a bit too much compassion for the people he took care of in the after life. 

With his feet rooted to the spot, it took a gentle nudging at his subconscious to pull his mind away from the image before him. There was someone to the building to the right of him and he found himself walking forward and into it without another thought. It was an odd feeling, one of a dim light that was threatening to flicker out at any given moment should the wind blow just hard enough. The Cupid found himself following that sensation, leading him down into the basement where the water reached his neck and he had to float along through debris. 

In the dark it took some time to find who he was looking for, a young man... about his age upside down in the water. Glancing around, he noticed the burns at his skin and frowned as he realized that the guy hadn't drowned but been electrocuted. Probably by some faulty wires and the water. Who knows how long he had been there, laying in the water... Junhoe could feel his heart hammering in his chest and the life force before him continued to diminish. He didn't know what would happen if it disappeared, but he could only assume it wasn't a good thing. 

Reaching out, like he had seen Jinhwan do before, he pressed his hand to the youth's head and felt for the life he needed to pull away. But he didn't know how to do it... there was no way to understand how to grab the life that still resided in the lifeless body. The Cupid only dealt with strings and fingers and tying up people that could potentially live together happily ever after. This wasn't the happily ever after, this was the cold brutal end and he wasn't sure if he could do it. Not that he would ever let anyone know, but he didn't want to let this one guy down. He deserved to be reincarnated or laid to rest or made into an Angel. He didn't deserve to be trapped in the basement where he died for the rest of his life.

As each second passed and the life of the kid started to slip further away, seeping out of him slowly, Junhoe felt himself getting desperate. There was no way for him to call out for someone to help. It was up to him and he was failing miserably. His heart was hammering against his chest and soon the small flicker of life that he could feel before was gone, slipping through his fingers like sand. His gut seized and a pain set in him like he had never known. It hurt... it hurt knowing that he was incapable of saving someone from an eternity being trapped and never belonging. 

His chest burned as he stayed floating in the basement with the body for a long time, his fingers pressed against his skin as he searched and searched for the soul that had once resided inside of him. Junhoe would have stayed there, freezing and empty, if Jinhwan hadn't come to find him. The look on his face was one of utter understanding and he slowly floated through the trash towards the Cupid. A small, warm hand covered the larger, cold one of the man that had stayed there waiting. "I couldn't... I didn't know how... he was there and then he was gone." Junhoe didn't realize how watery his voice sounded or the tears that had gathered in the corners of his eyes as he spoke. It was as if having someone show up to see his moment of weakness that he had allowed himself to open the flood gates. 

"Sometimes they're too far gone by the time you find them to even save them..." Jinhwan's voice was soft, warm and comforting and it wrapped around Junhoe like a blanket as he shuddered in the depths of that dark basement. "He had been down here a lot longer than most of the others. The fact that you were able to find him, without any training at all, is saying something." 

Junhoe knew that the words that he was being told was supposed to comfort him, but they weren't. "If I had been faster, if I hadn't made you wait... we could have been here sooner. I could have saved him. He wouldn't be stuck here... he wouldn't be living in an eternal hell of not knowing. That's the worst fate I could ever imagine..." There was unbridled emotions that made the Cupid's voice tremble as his shoulders shook. The warm hands on his shoulders were calming, but there was still the pain of knowing he had failed someone he had been entrusted to protect. 

Jinhwan was quiet for a moment, letting him release all of the anguish and desperation that had built up inside of his chest. It came pouring out in rivers on his already damp cheeks and it felt like it took an eternity for him to be able to catch his breath. "You know... this job is a lot harder than people think. They don't know how much actually goes into it... but you would make a damn good Reaper. You care and that's what matters, but you can't get caught up on the what ifs. Some will always slip through our fingers, but we just put more effort into saving others from the same fate." 

Looking up slowly, he saw the tender smile and that same compassionate warm look as before. Junhoe wasn't sure if his heart was suffering from spasms in his chest because of the death of the young man or because of the ridiculous fact that the Reaper was going out of his way to make sure he felt better. Either way, he felt a warmth he had never known before and it made him feel as if he was breathing for the first time. 


	5. Chapter Three

Hospitals were always so dreary, despite the white walls and tiled floors illuminated by fluorescent lights. The smell of decay and death clung to the air, poorly masked by antiseptics and alcohol. Humans could detect that a heaviness hung around places meant for the wellness of others, where so often things went wrong and lives were left hanging in the balance. For a reaper, it felt like a wasteland. There was never any one way of predicting just how things would really, truly go with their assigned humans and the hospital had always been a grey space. A few of the reapers were continuously posted within the walls, meant to secure the souls of those that were departed before their time. However, even for the three reapers continuously on watch, there were visitations from those that were actually meant to die within the walls of the building. 

Jinhwan personally hated the way every corner felt like suffering and pain. If it had been up to him they would never have been a place like this for the humans. They would all live happy, healthy lives for as long a possible and he would only ever have the ancient people who had lived a full life. It was his own personal torture, or at least that's what he assumed, that he would have to watch people of all ages leave the realm of the living and join him on the other side. Plus, it was rather morbid for him to think this way, if there wasn't hospitals and death he would literally be out of a job and probably have his soul repossessed and put into some other less attractive body. That was one thing he definitely could not have, no matter how distraught he felt over the misfortune of others. 

As he trudged down the hallways, the short blonde took a glance at his hand. There was an appointment at the ready in room 483 and he should be there to collect them at any moment. Jinhwan was slow in his pace, the only times he was actually good at his job was when people died in the hospitals on schedule. It seemed to make his life a lot easier and it wasn't the first time he had thought about joining the three Watchers that constantly roamed the halls keeping the stray souls kept together. But he kind of lived for the thrill of it all, but there had been more than one time that his boss had gotten on to him about being too frivolous. 

Passing by closed doors, he didn't stop to look in on people, but when he saw one open he felt compelled to slow his steps. There was one room, someone that looked to be on life support. That never actually made Jinhwan all too happy. It was only prolonging the suffering of the people, especially with all those tubes and wires.  A young man laid on the bed, perfectly still with monitors hooked up to his brain and heart as oxygen was pumped into his lungs. Clearly he was brain dead and he was alone. There was no one there to comfort him as his soul lay dormant in a paralyzed body. It made the reaper sick to his stomach. 

Humans hardly realized that keeping the person locked inside that meat locker they called a body was only detrimental to their souls' health. It caused them to deteriorate and sometimes even disappear entirely if they didn't let the person go in time. Jinhwan was a bleeding heart, he knew he was, but he liked to think he saw the world in a different light than everyone else. Or at least that's what he had to internally tell himself to keep from thinking about what he was doing. Glancing at the chart that was stuck outside the door, the youth had only been there for two weeks, his soul still intact but possibly emotionally scarred. Being trapped was never a good thing, however sometimes, without the brain to process what was going on, they just assumed that they were in a deep sleep. 

Glancing around, the petite reaper checked his watch, double checking the time to know he had enough minutes to do at least one good deed for the day. Stepping further into the room, Jinhwan continued to look around, taking in the barren room that held a singular flower bouquet in a vase and a small stuffed bear. It was cute, someone cared for him at least. There was a slight warmth that came from deep within the resting boy's body, otherwise the room was cold and empty of pretty much any emotions. It made Jihwan shudder as he made his was closer to the bed. 

The moment was serene almost, he looked peaceful in his eternal slumber, but the reaper knew... he just knew that something wasn't right. The boy was trapped and no one else seemed to realize it or even care. His outlook was already bleak, assuming that he would just end up dead in a few weeks, maybe months. A part of Jinhwan couldn't, wouldn't wait that long. He refused it. The eternal youth could no longer stand it and began to glance around the room, searching for something he could do. Technically he wasn't allowed to snatch a soul from a still living body, that was against all of the rules that had been engrained in him. But then again there was always loopholes and he had found ways around them more than once. 

Walking up to the main machine that was keeping him alive, Jinhwan looked it over before deciding to use his own type of magic to quicken the process. Narrowing his eyes, he placed his hand on the machine and focused the energy he usually used to collect souls to manipulate the electrical flow to the equipment. At first it did nothing, just caused the screen to glitch and stutter for a few moments but it didn't stop working outright. Technology was a blessing, but not when it hindered him from doing what he felt was his job. So with a frustrated sound, he pushed more of his energy into the electrical device and watched as it shuddered and shut down completely. A smile crept on his face as no alarms went off and all of the equipment in the room stopped working entirely. Even the overhead lights. 

Well that wasn't exactly comforting... but he could see the soul start to separate from the body and that alone had been his goal. Reaching out, he carefully began to pull the essence of the dead man from his vessel and smiled at the confused looking soul that was quick to glance back at his body and grip at his chest to ensure that this was indeed real. "Where am I? Where's my bike... I was just riding it." The voice that echoed in the space between them was rich and deep, sending pleasing tingles down Jinhwan's spine. 

The reaper offered up a gentle smile as he waved around slightly. "This is a hospital, you looked to have been brain dead for some time. I'm sure your family was keeping you al-" 

"Family? I have no family." The words cut between them and his dark eyes narrowed instantly. He may have been in a coma (a soul coma as some called it) for quite some time, but he wasn't stupid. "The only person who's cared about me ever is my boyfriend. Where is he? What have you done? Am I dead? I can't leave him. He won't last without me." There was the anger that Jinhwan was used to, the blatant ignorance to what he had been subjected to. It made the temper in the shorter male flare up and he didn't seem to care that this dead guy was a whole head taller than him. 

He cleared his throat politely and leveled him with a piercing gaze. "Sir, I don't call the shots, I just do as I'm told." It was a blatant lie and it burned on the tip of his tongue, but the patient had no reason to know that. He was better off this was in Jinhwan's humble opinion. "If you'll follow me, I have one more person to pick up and I'll explain everything all at once." 

Turning on his heel sharply, he walked out of the door, leaving no room for argument between them. He could always leave the gangly fucker there to figure out the afterlife on his own, he seemed stubborn, but Jinhwan knew that he would follow eventually, they always did. When he stepped out into the hallway however, he was greeted by the grim features of one of his fellow Reapers. A smile lit up his face and he waved slightly just to be on the safe side. Who knows what all had happened. 

"Did you cause the power shortage?" The question rung through his ears and took a full moment to comprehend what was being said. Looking down the hallway, he suddenly realized that yes... it was oddly darker than it had been before. Most of the lights were off and it seemed awfully quiet. 

Letting his shoulder roll in a shrug, Jinhwan feigned innocence as he puckered his lips slightly. "I didn't even know there was a power shortage. Did you guys lose anyone to it?" He was truly concerned for a moment, maybe he had just given himself more paperwork. They always tried to blame these extra deaths on him anyway. 

"Just this room and another next door." Ah! So his human had died and he needed to go and collect the soul as soon as possible. "Oddly though, HQ reports that neither of them were supposed to go like this. Especially this one." There was a moment of silence between them, Jinhwan glancing in the room where the patient stood stubbornly at his bedside refusing to move. He would collect him in a moment. "Jeon Wonwoo was supposed to recover and go on to live a happy, full life. The coma was meant to bring him and his boyfriend, Byun Baekhyun closer together and show that they can survive apart but still need one another." 

Oh fuck. 

The temporary look of sheer terror crossed his features and Jinhwan swallowed thickly. He hated this part, the part where he truly did seem to always screw something up. Standing quietly for a moment, he couldn't seem to wrap his head around this one. The boy had looked brain dead, he was even acting as though he had been. "So... uh, he was in a coma then?" His words were hesitant, soft even as he looked over at the man clearly upset as he continued to stare at his lifeless body. Sadly, there was hardly ever any going back after it had been this long. 

Somehow during the exchange, nurses had rushed in and checked on all of the equipment and vitals of the patients in both rooms, but it was indeed too late. Blearily, Jinhwan pushed past the other reaper and into his assigned room, collecting the frail old woman who had passed pleasantly all things considered. It was a moment after he helped her to her next destination that he returned to the young man who was suddenly no longer alone. The room had one single doctor and a small brunette who had a look of shock on his face. 

"You said it was minor... that after awhile he could recover." His voice was shrill, anger ripping through his entire body and Jinhwan winced as Wonwoo hovered nearby, looking just as angry as he heard the promises the medical team had made. "How could have this happened? Was it your stuff that did it to him? Did it stop working or something?" 

The doctor looked apologetic, doing his best to explain as Jinhwan inched his was further into the room. It took only a second for Wonwoo to notice him, leaving Baekhyun's side to glare down at him with the rage of a man robbed of his entire life. Guilt was already starting to eat at Jinhwan as he waited for the retaliation. "Is there nothing you can do? This is permanent right?" 

It was bitter resentment, but it was also borderline acceptance. The reaper was slow to shake his head, closing his eyes slightly before he muttered softly, "I'm so sorry for this. If things had been different... possibly I would have changed them for you." Except he had already changed them, permanently and there was no going back from that. "If there's anything we could do..." He trails off, knowing he would now have to explain everything to the very angry man, but it would all come in due time. 

"Watch over him... he's fragile. More than I ever was..." Wonwoo's voice cracked, looking over at his boyfriend who was openly crying and smudging his eyeliner in the process. "He'll do something stupid, I know he will..." 

Jinhwan paused, chewing on his bottom lip in thought before he smiled softly. "Where there's a way you could keep an eye on him too. You could join us... you don't have to be a soul collector like me, there's other jobs. It seems like you would do really well in Crisis Management if you know what it's like already. Plus it would be a way to keep an eye on him, especially right now since his world has been totally flipped upside down." The smaller male winced slightly at himself, knowing fully that it was his fault but he would never, ever tell that to Wonwoo who would probably try to kill him again. 

There was a moment that Wonwoo clearly contemplated his options, weighing them in his head before his gaze cut from the love of his life back to the man that had stole it from him completely. "Would I be able to really look after him?" There was a softness to his voice that Jinhwan hadn't heard before and it made him smile softly. The reaper had never known that sort of love before, but it seemed at though Wonwoo would do whatever it took to look after Baekhyun even though he was technically already gone. 

"Of course you can, I'll even make sure our best supervisor in Crisis helps you out. Heck, even I'll check in on him for you." A smile pressed at Jinhwan's lips and it seemed like it would all be okay despite the fact there was one extra soul now working in the afterlife. Everyone always swore that they wouldn't have half of their man power if it wasn't for him. "Now... if you would, please follow me. We have to register you to the higher ups to get this in motion." 

The travel time back to the office was long, tedious even as it was filled with ceaseless questions from Wonwoo followed by long sullen silences until he thought up something else to ask. Jinhwan preferred for people to talk, but not so sporadically like they spent more time in their head than actually speaking outright. When they arrived at headquarters, he breezed through to the elevators and began to walk Wonwoo through the process of becoming a Crisis Prevention Analyst. Was it annalist? He could never really remember. 

"Usually people have to go through the training of Gender and Sexual Orientation, but lucky you, I'm gonna let you skip all of that mess and go straight to working with Jongdae. He's a real hard ass, but usually Crisis is pretty laid back. If they let everything get personal they would go absolutely mental and I can't blame them at all." Jinhwan was speaking rapidly, moving his hands as he spoke in the very matter of fact tone before he led the taller man down a hallway from the elevator to what appeared to be a very cluttered office space. 

It was always a mess, everything disorganized and all over the place, but Jinhwan supposed he really couldn't blame them. Everything changed so quickly in here that there was no telling what would exactly happen next. These were the lives where everything hung in the balance, especially for ones with borderline mental disorders. That was another boat entirely that the reaper wasn't even sure he wanted to necessarily think about. 

Jongdae was bent over a desk, hair sticking every which way like his drug his fingers through it one too many times in the past hour. His rimmed glasses were slipping off his nose before he shoved them back up when there was a knock on the door and he looked up to see who had came in. The anger was immediate and Jinhwan was starting to think he just had that affect on people for whatever reason. "You. Do you know the mess you made? The kid you killed off had a very unstable partner, did you know that? He's on watch now and who the hell knows how long he's going to last. Do you ever even think before you do something?" The words were biting and it took all that he could do to keep his features calm. 

"Ah... hi to you too. This here is Wonwoo. I'm sure you've heard about him." As soon as the name left his mouth, the anger that was radiated at the reaper significantly lessened and Jongdae gave him an apologetic look. "I told him he could work here... seeing as he wanted to keep an eye on his boyfriend and all." 

Jinhwan had already dug himself a deep enough hole and was quick to make his exit, leaving behind two angry, sullen souls to sort out their qualms together. He needed peace and quiet and knew exactly where to go to find it. The trip down the elevator went without incident and he was walking into the Cupid's Department with heavy shoulders. The reaper knew that most people thought of him as careless, but deep down it was simply because he cared too much that led him to make so many mistakes. It was exhausting most of the time. He was known for his failures rather than his good deeds. 

Half of the desks were empty, but the two he looked forward to seeing were sitting in their chairs, one bent over his paperwork while the other stared at his phone as he took in the notifications he was receiving. Briefly, Jinhwan wondered if Wonwoo and Baekhyun had been assigned to either of them, but by now, he knew Junhoe would be throwing a fit if Wonwoo had been under his care. So it was definitely not his... but the way Yunhyeong let his eyebrows furrow it raised concern. 

"How's it goin'?" Jinhwan plastered a smile on his face, plopping his bottom down on the corner of Junhoe's desk just enough to agitate him since he hadn't looked up once to acknowledge his presence since he had entered the room. "It looks like Yunnie is thinking too hard which is never a good thing. What's up?" He was doing his best to keep his tone casual and light, making sure not to rise suspicion out of either of them. But he could tell from the way the Cupid glared at him that he knew something was up, Junhoe always seemed to know when something was going on. 

"Jus' got a hella bunch of notifications." Yunhyeong was frowning a bit as he sat up and started to go through his files immediately. "One died because of some freak thing in a hospital, a shortage that they're blaming on a reaper." He snorted softly and shook his head as he took out another file, both names ones that Jinhwan recognized from that night. "His partner went off the deep end it seems... jumped on the metro tracks and electrocuted himself not even half an hour after he found out." Another huff, one that sounded vaguely like amusement, passed the nicer Cupid's lips. "It seems they'll both be working here from the sounds of it." 

A shrug later, Jinhwan was sitting with as innocent of a face as he could muster before Junhoe sneered at him. "You did it didn't you? You went and pulled the poor guy's plug and now him and his partner are dead. Brilliant, you're utterly brilliant did you know that?" 

Jinhwan could hear the condescending tone of Junhoe's voice and it only drove the stake of guilt further into his gut. "Yea... but I thought..." There was another pause, no need for him to explain himself. They already saw him as the villain anyway. Most people usually did. "It's over with, nothing can change it now." He hopped up from the desk, making his exit quickly. There was no reason for him to stick around, it seemed like the couple would be reunited anyway so it wasn't all bad right? Right. Those were the things he had to tell himself to keep from falling into an oblivion of depression. 


End file.
